6 marathons in Europe to achieve a performance

Whether you're looking to set a personal best or achieve a marathon career-best, choosing the right destination is part of the winning combination beyond careful preparation and sparkling race-day fitness.

To enable a fast race, a marathon must have certain characteristics such as a course that is as flat as possible, large curves rather than tight bends, favorable weather with a temperature ideally around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, moderate humidity and preferably no wind or rain on the day.

To set a personal best or one of your best performances in a marathon, one of the secrets beyond the course for a very fast race is what is described in English as a 'negative split' or a 'negative difference' in French. It is about running the second half-marathon faster than the first half-marathon. This is extremely difficult to achieve for three reasons: first because you have to know yourself very well to define the optimal pace that you can maintain for 42 kilometers without dropping the pace, second because it is very difficult not to get carried away during the first 10 or 15 kilometers while the legs are still relatively fresh and finally because you have to grit your teeth and be really well trained not to drop the pace on the last 5 or 10 kilometers of the race.

To get back to choosing a destination that is conducive to a great performance with courses that are conducive to a personal best, we have established a list of 6 marathons to favor in Europe. Beyond the race itself, these are as many European destinations to discover. We have gathered them below in three possible choices.

Want to set a personal best in a major capital? Choose Berlin or London.

Berlin Marathon

At the top of the list of marathons in Europe to set a personal best or achieve a great performance is the Berlin Marathon. The elevation gain is only about 20 meters over the entire marathon distance. Many marathon world records have been set in Berlin. For men, the marathon world record has been broken 12 times in Berlin and for women, 4 times. The record for the event is 2 hours 1 minute and 9 seconds. This record dates back to 2022 and was set by the famous Kenyan marathon runner, Eliud Kipchoge. This is the second best world performance of all time. For women, the record for the event dates back to 2023 and was set by Tigsit Assefa in 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds. This is simply and to date the women's marathon world record.

London Marathon

The other option among the major European capitals is to run the London Marathon. The start of the course is on a long, false flat descent, which is the ideal way to start your race on D-Day. The records for the event are quite similar to those of the Berlin Marathon. For men, the record is 2 hours 1 minute and 25 seconds, only 16 seconds more than the Berlin Marathon record. It dates from 2020 and was also set by Eliud Kipchoge. It is the ^3rd best world performance of all time. For women, the record is a little older and dates from 2003. It was set by the famous English runner Paula Radcliffe. It is 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds.

Berlin or London? You have the choice between two European capitals or maybe you even want to run these two great European marathons. Be aware, however, that these are very popular marathons and that you may have to go through a draw unless you already have a very good marathon time to your name, which will make registration easier.

Heading to the Netherlands? Choose Rotterdam or Amsterdam.

If you're more interested in Northern Europe, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see two marathons run in the Netherlands as being among the most likely to set a personal best or a great performance. The country's geography lends itself to this, especially in these two large Dutch cities located near the sea in flat, flat regions: Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The elevation gain on the Rotterdam marathon, for example, does not exceed 100 m over the entire course.

The Rotterdam Marathon

The course follows a roller coaster shape. The start is at the foot of the large Erasmus Bridge, which you will cross before making a large loop that will take you past the stadium of the local football team, Feyenoord. After the half marathon, you will return a second time towards the Erasmus Bridge, which you will cross again but this time in the opposite direction. During the last 15 kilometers, you will make another loop, this time smaller, before reaching the finish in the center of Rotterdam. Three world records have been set in this marathon in the past. The record for the event is 2 hours 3 minutes and 36 seconds for men and 2 hours 18 minutes and 58 seconds for women.

The Amsterdam Marathon

One of the special features of the Amsterdam Marathon is its finish in the Olympic stadium of the city that hosted the Olympic Games in 1928. You will be able to experience sensations close to those of an Olympian entering an Olympic stadium before reaching the finish of the marathon. The course follows the Amstel River south of the city for almost 12 kilometers. You will follow it from the ^13th to the ^25th kilometer, making a round trip before returning to the city. Towards the very end of the course, you will cross a famous park in the city of Amsterdam, the Vondel Park, before reaching the Olympic stadium. The course is very smooth. The only small difficulty, if we can call it a difficulty, is crossing the large bridge crossing the Amstel again, but this time in the city center around the ^36th kilometer. The record for the event for men is 2 hours 3 minutes and 39 seconds and for women 2 hours 17 minutes and 19 seconds.

Do you prefer the south and Spain? Choose Valencia or Seville.

If it is the south that attracts you, we finally suggest you head to Spain and even to the south of Spain to run the Valencia marathon or the Seville marathon.

The Valencia Marathon

The Valencia Marathon takes place in December and the temperature at this time of year in Valencia is around 15 degrees (between 12 and 17 degrees), an ideal temperature for running a marathon. Beyond the temperature, the course is also perfect for performing, with the added bonus of a portion of the course running along the Mediterranean. The men's record for the event is 2 hours 1 minute and 48 seconds. It was set in 2023 and is currently the ^4th best performance in the world of all time. For women, the record is 2 hours 14 minutes and 58 seconds and is the ^5th best performance in the world.

The Seville Marathon

The Seville Marathon is run in February, which normally allows for fairly mild conditions for a winter month with temperatures around 15 degrees. This marathon is ideal for achieving a performance because in addition to mild temperatures, it is also one of the flattest courses in Europe with less than 50 m of elevation gain. The record for this marathon was set in 2024 for men with a time of 2 hours 3 minutes and 27 seconds. For women, it is 2 hours 18 minutes and 51 seconds and dates from 2022.

In summary, if you want to achieve one of your best marathon performances and also take the opportunity to travel in Europe, you are spoiled for choice with these 6 possible destinations: Berlin or London to go to a major European capital, Amsterdam or Rotterdam to visit the Netherlands and finally Valencia or Seville to discover the south of Spain.

Good luck and good courage for a marathon at full speed!